No man is an island. I remember hearing that in a song once. The idea, the notion, that nothing can be done alone. That no one can achieve anything without the assistance of other people. It is a simple truth that exists as much within us as humans as it does on the atomic level. But heres the funny thing. No matter how prevalent it may be, no matter how intrinsically it is woven into the very universe…

We resist.

This thought process, at first, seems natural and normal. Like, why would I not want to do things on my own? Why not strive to be strong and independent? It would be better for others to not have to carry my weight or deal with my issues, right? Well, no. We are meant to work together. In tandem. Pairs or groups. Seriously.

Think of it this way. All the clothes you have, the place you live in, the food you eat and the computer you are reading this on? Designed, manufactured, shipped and sold by other people. You pay them to give you stuff. You work together. And what about physically? Our process of propagation as a species requires two people from opposing physical genders. We cannot reproduce asexually. Even socially! Two people (like many standard couples) working through each others problems together are ultimately going to have a better time coming up with solutions, and putting those solutions into action, then both of them working alone. We seem to be designed physically and neurologically with gaps and defects that can easily be compensated for via simple interactions with another individual.

And even all the way down to the atomic level! Protons and electrons and neutrons are required to make any form of matter. Three particles, all with different charges, must be combined and work together in order to make stuff. Any stuff! Any of these particles acting alone do almost nothing. But together they make everything.

So why then do we try and push ourselves away from everyone else? Why do we try and accomplish so much alone?

Honestly? I have no idea.

Pride is a powerful thing and it runs deeper in some then it does in others. We have this notion that maybe if we can do things alone and we don’t need help that we are somehow stronger then others. That we are better then other people if we don’t need other people. That we are weak if we need help. That if we fall in line or become a part of a larger group that we may lose our ever-precious individuality. Or maybe it’s trust? Maybe we can’t trust others to help us because we are afraid we’ll get hurt or betrayed. But everyone needs help. You needed it when you were a baby. You needed it when you made dinner today. And you’ll need it tomorrow.

I was once a victim of pride. I felt that I didn’t just have the ability to do anything on my own, but that I NEEDED to in order to prove myself. To earn my existence here. And if/when I failed that it was a bad thing. That failure in independence was somehow shameful. But I learned something very powerful over the last few years as a villain.

Firstly, that failure is a beautiful thing. It teaches us everything and because of that it is, in a small way, it’s own victory. And second, that we, like all other things in the universe, need everything else to survive. To EXSIST. Everything everywhere works together in a huge machine. There is nothing shameful about being a part of a greater whole. It is, to me, an honour to be a part of everything else and to work with others. Oxygen needs to mix with nitrogen and other gasses to make our atmosphere so we can breathe. Our moon is required to create the tides. Trees are needed to recycle our air. The tilt of the earth is needed for our seasons. Friends are needed to help us when we need help. Farmers are needed to farm our food. Builders are needed to build our homes. Doctors are needed to heal us. Heroes are needed to save us.

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In my humble opinion, the reason is because, we are at best a contradictory species. We have the idea of value by isolation, because our biggest adaptation and point of strength is both our intelligence and our sense of self. When that is challenged, we feel threatened, as though one of the things we see as worth-while and part of our success doesn’t in fact mean anything.

Needless to say, this is almost an unconscious reaction. But what most fail to realize is, we work best TOGETHER, but that doesn’t mean we stop being ourselves. It is only if we loose our sense of self in the group, our voice in the many, that causes problems. In other words, humans work well together, IN SMALL GROUPS. The sheer number of us, however, and the problems that have arisen in turn, are a good example of how trying to make those groups bigger has had many negative side-effects for whatever good it has accomplished.

As a loyal minion to the forces of Evil and Chaos, I feel it is my duty to say this. We all see the fact that those who have crusaded to change the world, have done so to reach the top of society and work their way down, or worked from the bottom levels of a system that doesn’t work. …these have been foolish endeavors, however visionary they started.

What is needed, is what we had in our more primitive times, something the nations of the world give each-other to the detriment of many…

True competition.

It is in adversity that humans thrive, and no time of true peace has ever existed in our world outside of the mind. What is needed, what MUST happen, is that another force, one able and willing to challenge the established orders rise, not to power to compete with them, but with the single purpose of disrupting ALL other establishments in the world.

We must have the troubleshooters that exist outside the system. We must upset the balance so the corrupt will be ejected and the effective and best will be selected. In essence, the world need us, the VILLAINS, to rise and give them something to fight against, something for their struggles to focus on and to refine themselves against.

The world doesn’t need Heroes.

It needs Villains who will fight for what is NEEDED, rather than what is right.

I am a loyal servant of this cause, one who upsets the established order in his own small way. Alone, I can only effect a small place, but like any small group, I seek others who will join with me. I seek you, a rallying point for Evil to find it’s place in this world, and do what it can to shake the dregs and rot from our world so that we may becomes greater, Good and Evil alike.

Our development is far from over, and it is time to remind Humanity it still has a long way to go.

They will never find us, for we remain small enough to vanish, but nor can they ignore us, for we shall never relent nor shy from a strike against them.

Another part of why we seek individual success is various established social methods that pit the concept of working as an individual vs. working as a team.

In a group situation, there is a social hierarchy that living creatures create. Insects typically have queens, many mammals have alpha males or females. Plants will struggle for dominance as well, out competing their own seed siblings for light and nutrients. Even corals will struggle to destroy each other, the greatest reefs built on the corpses of deceased coral.

Conversely there are creatures that work in relatively equal swarms such as starlings or shoals of fish, however when it comes to mating they still struggle to be the most prominent breeder. It is this unending competition within a species and between species that drives evolution and ensures capable offspring.

Thus while cooperation is essential for survival, we seek to be the top individually. Unfortunately many think in short term over long term, and thus will seek individual gains when we may be better served by the group. By balancing our drive for personal success against the gains we can make by working as a group we can reach the top.